Operation Homecoming!

After a lovely driving day through west Texas and ascending the Llano Estacado I finally made it to Clovis - my home for the next month... or so... until Clayton kicks me out...

Clayton's flight home from the middle east was delayed so I had 4 fun filled days in Clovis. Alone. Let's just say Clayton's house has never been cleaner. I was so bored I even washed my car for the first time ever (that's usually my dad's job). 

Clayton finally arrived at 1330 on Thursday, June 9th. His roommate Billy was so excited he thought we needed to show up on base 3 hours early. And then he had the pleasure of buying me lunch and keeping me entertained for 3 hours.

It was a really special experience to get to see all of the families excited to see their loved ones come home from Afghanistan. It brought tears to my eyes and made me very proud to be an American and very proud of my man in uniform.

And finally after 3 months apart he was back in my arms:)

While Clayton stood in line to complete his in-processing paperwork, I took off for Amarillo to pick up Clayton's sister, Rebecca, who was flying in from Kentucky to visit us for a week. We rallied back at home for pizza, beer, and Tosh.0 to welcome Clayton back to the states the classy way.

The following afternoon was the Captain's party to celebrate all of the guys in the squadron that made Captain this year. Now, if you've ever wondered to yourself how a bunch of 27 year old pilots party, let me enlighten you... it may or may not involve the following:
1. Unlimited free booze

2. A bouncy castle

3. Cigars and really really really cool trucker hats

4. Dancing all night long to a kick ass cover band

5. Taking shots of water while your unknowing friends take shots of tequila... multiple times...

Oh and there are more... but I'll leave the rest of the shennanigans up to your imagination...

How Much Fun Can You Have Between Mississippi and New Mexico?

I have a little obsession with state welcome centers...

So I stopped at a few...

If you're new to my world and wondering how I got so good at taking photos of myself in front of landmarks... well, its a long story.

My other talents include driving across the country without encountering any traffic, bad weather, flat tires, getting lost, or other challenges of the such. Yep, made it through 6 states without a single challenge. Not one.

However, if having too much fun is a challenge I am soooo totally guilty of that one. My stop in Dallas was a fabulous one all around but Saturday night was one for the history books:
Have you ever crashed the bachelorette party of someone you've never met? I have. The beautiful Kayla Dobbs and her fiance Seth are stationed with my boyfriend, Clayton, at Cannon AFB in Clovis, NM. I had never had the pleasure of meeting Kayla but we were friends in the world of Facebook and she has given me some wonderful support through Clayton's deployment when I needed someone to whine to about my man being 7,000 miles away. As fate (and it was fate) would have it, Kayla was having her bachelorette party in Dallas as I was coming through and graciously invited my wonderful friend Brooke and I to attend.

The night started out on a whim with no set plans. We briefly wandered around uptown trying to find a restaurant that could accommodate 8 beautiful girls at 8:30 on a Saturday night. It seemed impossible at first as every place was packed. Thanks to the Urban Spoon application on Brooke's iPhone, we stumbled upon the most delicious Italian restaurant of my life time. And it was completely empty... aside for 3 gay men. Now when 8 girls in heels carrying bachelorette party penis paraphernalia meet 3 gay men... well... I'd say its a match made in heaven. (See what I meant about fate?) They gays invited us to the "Razzle Dazzle" street party event in the gay district and when someone invites you to an event called "Razzle Dazzle" you say YES! We all had way too much fun dancing the night away at the gay clubs. My toes still have the blisters to prove it.

Dallas was epic. Brooke was a fabulous host and tour guide. Kayla was a gorgeous bachelorette. Great friends. Great city. Great gays!

Gumbo & Grits & Crawfish! Oh My!

My drive from Orlando to Mississippi was a hot one. The thermometer read 103 the entire way. I was quite disappointed with the scenery through the panhandle of Florida as trees lined the interstate for six whole hours. However, I was quickly reminded to enjoy the trees while they last, as the rest of my upcoming travels may be slightly less green. 

On my first gas stop just outside of Tallahassee I discovered the Monster Energy Rehab drink which made the remaining 6 hours completely bearable. Now, I cannot stand energy drinks or anything loaded with sugar and artificial crap BUT the rehab drink contains tea, lemonade, and electrolytes and is only 20 calories per can. Win! I will endorse this beverage forever!

Upon my arrival in Hattiesburg, I was warmly greeted by my fabulous hosts with margaritas, a huge pot of gumbo, and a piece of french bread with which to wipe my bowl. Yes, I had come to Mississippi and stepped into a Jimmy Buffett song. Heaven. And my first ever taste of Gumbo was delicious. About 2 bowls, 7 margaritas, and 6 years worth of stories later it was time for bed. Brittany and I had our very first sleepover when we were about 12 years old and at 27 we still stayed up until the wee hours of the morning talking about boys. Thankfully we have graduated from crushes and prospective homecoming dates to husbands and boyfriends:)

Breakfast and lunch brought even more culinary firsts for me with grits and crawfish respectively (both delicious), and a couple hours at the pool confirmed that Mississippi is indeed hotter than Florida. Let's hope Mississippi is still the winner when I head to Texas tomorrow!